Memory Lane
by RockTheWorld
Summary: I did it. I present to you the first ever SLASH LOD story. A story of love, loss, fame, famine, and skating in the heart of Dogtown. It gets better. Trust me. Will go up in rating.
1. Memory Lane

**Venice, 1979**

Jay stood and shoved his hands in to his pockets. He had never been good in front of crowds. Today was no different. But when Sid's mom had called, he couldn't just put down the phone. They had all been through too much, together and apart. They had been friends for almost 19 years, and in his final moments, Sid had done more for them then they had done for him in all of those years.

"I…I, um, I don't really know what to say. I'm not very, um, good at this kind of thing. And I never – never thought I'd be here, doing what I have to do. Sid was a good kid. A great kid. A great friend. Sid was my best friend. I remember this one time, in second grade, when he offered to eat paste to make some bully leave me alone. Sid was always doing stuff like that. And I never did anything for him."

The other boys looked over at Jay, who was clutching the podium with white knuckles. He leaned forward, almost low enough to rest his head on the microphone. Stacy and Tony looked at each other, concerned. They didn't know where Jay's speech was going, but they knew that it might end badly.

"I never did anything for Sid. All I did was use him and leave him. I used his money. I used his pool. I tried to take him with my to the pros, but then I left and he was never good enough to stay on his own. His style was total kook. I used his weed, his beer, his parents. Sid never left me, though. He stayed. He always stayed. I remember this one time, right after he told me he was sick. He just looked at me and said that he would kick my ass if I ever cried in front of him. I never understood why, until something that Thunder Monkey said to me."

Thunder Monkey looked up at the sound of her name. The tears poured down her face, making little dark marks on her black dress. The sight of her crying was almost too much for Jay to handle. He took a deep, rattling breath, looked down, and continued on in a shaky voice.

"She told me that Sid had asked her the same thing – to never cry in front of him. He told her that his mom cried, his grandma cried, his brother and his dad and his sister all cried. He told her that enough people that he loved in his life were crying, and that if his friends started doing it too, he didn't know if he'd be able to keep going. To keep putting that big Sid smile on his face and making jokes and pretending like he would be okay and just stop living. And he didn't want that. I never cried in front of Sid, as many times as I wanted too. And, despite all that, I think Sid would be okay with all of us crying here today. That's it. I'm done."

And with that Jay took another deep breath and walked down the small set of steps to the pews, sliding in beside Kathy and taking her hand. She squeezed it gently and smiled, proud of him for saying all the things he did. _If only she knew, _he though. _If only she knew all the things I didn't say._ Jay hadn't said all that he wanted to about Sid. Jay didn't tell everyone everything. In fact, the only people who knew the real and total truth were Jay and Sid's moms, and Stacy. And they all had been sworn to complete secrecy. Even they didn't know about the little things.

They didn't know about the way Sid looked in his boxer shorts, or about how he liked to nibble on Jays bottom lip. They didn't know that Jay liked to hold hands, an that it was one of the few genuinely sensitive things that Jay ever did. They didn't know about how both boys liked to sneak in to the old movie theatre off Bicknell hill and make out through the old black and white movies. And they didn't know how much it tore Jay up inside to walk down the isle of that church in his itchy black polyester suit and stand on that stage and say those things and pretend. Not that he wasn't used to pretending. He more than was. He and Sid had been pretending his entire life. Since they were little. Once they were teens. On tour. At home. Everywhere.

Jay lost focus. He stopped hearing the end of the service. He tried his hardest to pay attention to Thunder Monkey, Stacy, and Tony as they all took their turns speaking about Sid, about how great a guy he had been. He stood and sat for the Hymns, and when the final procession took place, he walked past the open casket. Sid's hair was gone, cut off after a final chemo treatment. He looked un-natural in his stuffy, navy blue suit. Jay reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small bundle, shoving it quickly in to the bottom of the casket, out of sight. He knew that Sid would have wanted to be buried with his Zephyr t-shirt. He took Kathy's hand and walked out of the church in to the bright light. He found Stacy and Tony by Tony's car.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Jayboy. You did really well today. I know that took a lot of guts."

"Thanks Tony."

"Hey, what do you guys say to one last surf at the pier, for old times sake," Stacy asked, punching Jay tenderly on the arm.

"One last? What are you leaving already? You got more malls to skate for money," Jay said smiling.

"There's nothing left here for me, Jay. You've got Kathy and your mom. I've got nothing. I've got to move on."

"You've got me, Stacy. Me and Kathy. And Skip, and POP. You could find a reason to stay if you wanted," Jay shot back, staring resolutely at Stacy.

"Sorry, Jay. I've just got to go."

"Hey, lets just go down to the pier, maybe stop by the old Zephyr building," Tony said, putting his hand on Stacy's shoulder. "We can talk about all that shit later. Right now, lets just all be here for Sid. Lets paddle, dudes. A final RIP."

"Wow, Tony."

"What, Jayboy?"

"I don't think I've ever heard you say anything more gay," the boy teased, making one of his rat faces and jumping in Stacy's car. "Lets go!" The two laughed and followed, Tony promising something about kicking his ass later. Jay knew that this was it. This was the last car ride, the last surf session, the last joints or beers together. They had been reunited by Sid, but they all knew that it wouldn't last. The last link in the chain was gone, and it was time to scatter to the winds. Stacy would go back to G&S, and Tony would go to Alva Skates, and Jay would stay in Dogtown with Kathy. Each knew and had accepted their future. But, as the car shifted in to reverse and Stacy pulled out smoothly on to the highway, Jay couldn't help but think back to the good old golden days. The days when he didn't have a care in the world but skating and seeing Sid and getting high. For the longest time, he had pushed back those memories. Seeing all of them together and happy, even in his head, was just too much for him while Sid lay up in a hospital bed and Tony nursed and broken skull. Now that they were separating, possibly forever, Jay let his mind stray.

Surfing could wait. This was a ride down memory lane that he needed to take more than anything else in the world.


	2. Surfs Up

**Venice, 1975**

"Hey Jayboy," Sid called out as he yelled for the water, board in hand. Jay put his hand to his forehead, trying to shield the sun from his eyes. He watched with a smirk as the uncoordinated young boy hopped on to his board and began to paddle out towards all the other boys.

"Hey Sid," Stacy called, waving, as though Sid couldn't see where they were. Jay, Stacy, and Tony sat on their boards, facing the shore. The surf had been pretty calm for a while, and they were all thinking of heading in. None of them told Sid this, though, as he approached. The three had been out there all morning. They had gotten up at five to meet at the beach, arriving even before Skip, who almost never left the beach. The boys took their chance to surf, paddling quickly out in to the water. They had taken wave after wave, crashing and coming back up and getting smashed against rocks and debris. They were cut and hurt and bleeding and the water was freezing. They loved it.

"Hey, nice for you to show up, buddy," Tony said snidely as Sid finally reached them all on his board.

"Hey, just cause I have rules to follow doesn't mean that I don't want to be here."

"If you wanted to be here, you would be here," Tony shot, knowing full well that Sid hardly ever did anything against his parent's wishes. Except for the weed. There was always room to break the rules if it meant weed.

"Mine," Stacy called as a huge set came up from behind them, catching the almost unaware. It was the first one in almost an hour, and the other boys were pissed.

"Damn it Stacy, why do you get it," Jay shouted as the blonde took off, popping up and riding the wave in to the shore.

"Called it," the blonde shouted back, his voice quickly fading out against the crash of the waves. Tony looked behind him and saw another wave coming.

"Mi-"

"I've got it," Tony shouted, cutting Jay off as he began to paddle. The wave carried him up and away towards shore, where the other two boys could see Stacy sitting on the shore.

"I guess we're done for this morning," Jay said, slapping the water in frustration.

"Why," Sid wondered. He hadn't taken his eyes off Jay since he got there. None of the other boys seemed to notice. He hadn't seen Stacy and Tony now sitting on the shore, or the familiar T-Bird pull up in the parking lot.

"Skip. He's here. Back to the bone garden and picking up beer bottles," Jay said bitterly. He had only caught three waves all morning, and he was anxious for more. That feeling was always inside him when he was in the water or on a skateboard – the feeling that it was never enough, never too much. That he was always willing to go bigger, go badder, and go where no one else had gone and to come back and tell the tale. Jay loved to live larger than life.

"Well, we better head in, then," Sid said, beginning to paddle towards the beach.

"Sid", Jay shouted, "Don't go that way. Didn't you feel the current when you came in? That way will take you out to open sea. Here, come this way. Towards the pier. We'll go in through the bone garden and then up and around."

"Oh. No. I didn't feel it when I came out here. I don't feel it now. Are you sure?"

"Positive. I think it's starting to pick up. Trust me." Sid shrugged and began to follow Jay toward the bone garden, the pile pf pillars and stranded driftwood that lay directly underneath the pier. Sid paddled slowly, Jay in front of him. Seeing Jay in the wet suit made his mind wander to a place he didn't want it to go. Especially when he himself was in a skin tight wet suit where nothing was left to the imagination. The boys went slowly. Jay began to slow down, soon falling in to a paddling stride next to Sid. The boys reached to bone garden and began to weave there way in and out of the pillars, slowly making their way towards shore. Sid slowly pulled out in front of Jay, paddling stronger. Jay never was much for stamina. Right before Sid rounded the last pillar, he felt someone pulling on the back of his board, slowing him down. The next thing he knew, Sid found himself flipped over in the water, his board pulling against his ankle rope as it strained to get out to sea. Sid began to swim desperately, not entirely sure how he had ended up in the water. The next thing he knew, he felt two strong hands grabbing the neck of his wetsuit and pulling his head above the water.

"What the hell was that," Sid shouted? Jay put a finger to his lips and stayed stone faced, although Sid could see a little bit of a twinkle in his eye. Suddenly he realized something – Jay wasn't moving. He was standing. He could touch bottom here. Suddenly, it all dawned on Sid. There was no current. Jay had pulled him off the board. And Sid knew why. He smiled and swam closer to Jay, wrapping his arms around his neck and floating next to him.

Suddenly, Jay rammed his mouth on to Sid's, covering it entirely. He forced open Sid's mouth with his tongue. He spun him around in the water with little difficulty. For having so little stamina, Jay was remarkably strong. He pressed Sid against the pillar, and felt Sid harden against him. Jay reached down below the water, searching for the zipper, when he heard a voice.

"Jayboy! Sid! Quit fucking around and get to work," Skip yelled from the shore.

"Sorry," Sid yelled, hoping his voice didn't' give away how true what Skip said was. The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Later," Jay whispered, ruffling Sid's wet hair and swimming off, pulling his board along side him.

_Later, indeed. _


	3. La Fiesta

"Guys, I'm totally bored," Stacy said, flipping his long hair behind his ears. He looked around at the group of teenagers, flopping themselves over all different kinds of furniture at Jay's house. Peggy and Shogo were sharing the arm chair. Biniak and Red Dog were both lying in different corners, trying to sleep off hangovers. Stacy, Tony, and Jay sat next to one another on the couch, and Sid was sitting in front of the coffee table.

"No kidding. It's raining, and the surf is flat either way," Tony said, looking around.

"Anyone got any ideas," Biniak said, his voice muffled as he spoke in to the carpet.

"Skip's," someone shouted?

"He's out. Something about a Mardis Gras party. Won't be back till tomorrow."

"Stecyk's?"

"No good. He's probably with Skip."

The kids looked around at each other, all of them racking their brains for something to do. Suddenly, Peggy stood up.

"La Fiesta," she shouted! The kids all looked at each other, surprised that the idea hadn't occurred to them sooner.

"La Fiesta," they all shouted, grabbing their boards and heading out in to the rain.

La Fiesta was a seedy Mexican bar in the heart of Dogtown. The place never closed, never checked ID's, and never bothered to clean up from the night before. The place was dirty, smelly, filled with the scariest residents of Dogtown, and all the kids absolutely loved it. They all sat down, ordering a round of beers, before splitting up for their own past times. Shogo and Red Dog loved to play darts. Peggy headed off to flirt with the cute bartender who worked on Saturday night. Biniak and Tony headed to the dance floor, all ready to pick up chicks.

"I can't believe that Tony can just walk out there and already be dancing with three different girls," Stacy complained, taking a big gulp of his beer. HE made a face and looked down; as though he thought maybe this time the beer wouldn't take like piss-water. He was wrong.

"You could do that if you wanted, Stacy," Peggy said, coming back to the table just long enough to reapply her lipstick. The guy behind the bar watched her expectantly as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked back towards him.

"Just give it a try, man," Jay said, slapping Stacy on the back and pointing to the dance floor, where a skinny brunette had just started dancing alone. She looked over the three boys and smiled.

"Looks like that one's waiting and willing," Sid said, pointing to the girl, who smiled bigger. Stacy looked between the boys and the girl, finished off his beer and headed out to the dance floor; his shoulders slumped in an endearing shyness. Sid looked at Jay and laughed at their friends familiar antics.

Jay reached out and poured himself another beer, refilling Sid's cup as well.

"Thanks buddy," Sid said, lightly brushing the back of Jay's hand with his own. Jay looked at him and smiled a little before getting kind of a worried look on his face.

"Careful, man. Not too much."

"Damn it, Jay," Sid said a little too loudly, causing Shogo and Red Dog to look over at the table before laughing. Both of them were on their way to being more than a little drunk. "Why do you have to say things like that?" Sid lowered his voice as low as possible and still be able to be heard over the music.

"Like what? All I'm saying is that I don't want anyone to find out. We've talked about this, baby. We've just got to play it cool sometimes."

"I know, I know. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that my inner ear shit has really been acting up and throwing me off lately."

"It's cool, man." Jay leaned closer, looking as though he just wanted to make sure he heard Sid over the music. Carefully, and making sure no one was looking, he slid a hand under the table and put in on Sid's knee. "You know, it didn't seem to affect what happened earlier in the water today. You seemed just fine then."

"Some things it just doesn't effect," Sid said, his voice getting low and husky, his hand covering Jay's. The two of them locked eyes and smiled. Slowly Jay stood up and started heading back for the bathroom. Sid waited, finishing off his beer and counting to thirty before standing up and following the same path. He had just passed in to the hallway the bathrooms were down when he felt a hand reach out and grab him. He smiled until he looked down and small a girl, a few inches shorter than he was. He couldn't get out a word before she put her hand on his crotch and began to kiss him. Suddenly, Sid realized who she was. It was the brunette from the dance floor; the one Stacy went to dance with.

"Woah, woah, woah," he said. She looked up at him and smiled. Her teeth were crooked.

"I'm Lana," she said, reaching up to kiss him again.

"Lana. Nice to meet you. I'm Sid, and I'm not that in to you," he said, not even bothering to come up with a way to let her down gently. She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't care," she said. He smiled and had to chuckle a little bit. She knew what she wanted, and she would stop at nothing. Too bad she was barking up the wrong tree. He pushed her off him gently, shaking his head and motioning to the curly haired kid on the dance floor who would be in to her without a doubt. She shrugged her shoulders and followed his fingers. Sid walked out of the girl's bathroom and in to the guys.

Sid stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the familiar blonde hair firmly plastered to someone else's face. A tall someone else. At least 6 foot, almost a full 6 inches taller than Jay. The blonde had his eyes closed, and looked lost in a world that, up to that point, Sid had only seen when they were together. Suddenly, Sid flared. He reached out and grabbed the stranger. For being so tall, he was remarkably skinny. Sid threw him to the other wall, where the other guy hit his head and fell to the floor in a heap.

"SID!" Jay yelled.

"You bitch," Sid said in a quiet voice.

"What do you expect? I come to find you and you're making out with a girl? What was I supposed to do?"

"Not be a dick-"Sid was struck quiet as the mysterious make-out stranger came up behind him and hit him on the back of the head. Sid passed out immediately. It was Jay who was left to watch the other guy kick Sid repeatedly, in the stomach and back, watch him scream. It was Jay who was frozen as the guy kicked Sid one more time, spitting on to the top of his head. It was Jay who ran out of the bathroom, leaving the boy he loved bleeding and bruised on the cold, dirty floor of the bathroom at La Fiesta. It was Jay who left the bar without telling anyone, who wasn't there when Tony walked in about 20 minutes later and Saw Sid standing, although wobbly, covered in blood and begging for a ride home. And it was Jay who took his own private moonlit walk on the beach, thinking about all the ways that he was the most overwhelming bastard on the planet.


	4. Oh Shit

The second the sun streamed through the barely cracked blinds, Sid's eyes popped open. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain made him gasp and lay back down. He tried to remember the night before, but the only thing filling his mind was a sharp and biting pain.

"Easy, buddy," Tony said, coming back in to the room and putting a glass of water and two aspirin down on the bedside table. "You took quite a beating. It's going to be a couple of days before you're back on a board."

"What happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure, dude. One moment I'm out on the dance floor having to take a piss, and the next thing I know I find you laying on the bathroom floor of La Fiesta covered in blood, begging not to tell anyone. I'm not exactly sure what I wasn't' supposed to tell them, but whatever. I brought you back to my house, and you passed out immediately."

"Oh Shit. My parents have to be worried sick. Now the shits really going to hit the fan."

"No worries, dude. Peggy called them on the way home and told them you were staying the night with all of us at Biniak's house. They bought it, and said to call them when you got up. If you can find the strength now, that is."

"So what the hell is the matter with me," the brunette said as he swallowed the pain and pushed himself in to a sitting position. His head felt heavy, and he could have sworn someone was stabbing him in the back.

"Not sure. Looks like a broken rib or two, bruised spinal cord, and some wicked cuts to the face. Maybe a slight concussion. Nothing we haven't seen from some pretty harsh falls," Tony said, grabbing his board from the wall. "I'm going out, dude. Feel free to crash - you could probably use the sleep. If you need anything, Katy will be back in about half an hour, and you can always call Stacy."

"Thanks, dude," Sid said, leaning his head back and reaching out for the glass of water and swallowing the aspirin lying next to it. "For everything."

"No problem. Later."

"Later," Sid called after him as the screen door closed. Sid leant his head further back in to the couch, attempting to adjust the way he was sitting. It just hurt too much to move. He tried his hardest to remember what had happened the night before, but the last thing he remembered was kissing a girl in the back hallway of La Fiesta. A knock on the door sent bullets rocketing through Sid's head. "Come in."

"Hey babe," Jay said, shuffling in and shutting the door roughly behind him.

"Careful, man," Sid said, wincing in pain as the door slammed. It was like a hangover and a thrashing all in one. Only about a thousand times worse.

"How are you doing?" Jay said, looking afraid to come towards the couch.

"I just wish I could remember how I got this way," Sid said, looking up at Jay. One look at the sad brown eyes, already rimmed in tears, brought it all back. Kissing a girl. Finding Jay kissing another guy. Flipping ape shit and slamming the other guy. Getting the shit beat out of him. Jay not being there when he woke up. When Sid looked up again, Jay was staring at the floor. "How the hell could you do that to me," Sid said quietly. He wasn't angry - he was genuinely confused.

"I didn't mean for it to happen like that."

"Like what?"

"I...I don't know. I didn't mean for any of it to happen."

"Well, it did. And now look at me. Look at us. Are we an us?"

"I hope so."

"Jay - you kissed another guy and then left and let him beat the shit out of me."

"I didn't let him...okay, I was scared, okay. When he was there and you were on the floor and...I was so, so scared," Jay kept muttering as he crossed to Sid, bending down and burying his face in Sid's chest. Sid felt his resolve beginning to crack a little bit.

"Jay...Jay what you did was almost unforgivable. You know that, right?"

"I know. I know, I know, I know. Believe me. God I wish I could take it back. But when I saw you kissing someone else... a girl, for fuck sake, I don't know what came over me. It ripped my heart out."

"And you thought what? That it would make you feel better to rip my heart out?"

"No! Yes! I don't know. I don't know what I thought. What I think," he buried his head further in to the brunettes chest, slowly wrapping his arms around his waist. He slid his hands gingerly underneath Sid's shirt – the nice one he had slipped on the nice before - and began to caress Sid's stomach lightly. Sid gasped in pain.

"Ah shit!" Sid looked down at jay and Jay half-smiled in apology. The blonde removed his hands and began to unbutton Sid's shirt one button at a time, pulling it back from his pale flesh. Jay gasped too when he saw how dark purple Sid's skin was. Everything from his sternum to his bellybutton was a deep eggplant, yellowing around the edges.

"Ah shit." Jay looked up in to Sid's eyes and began to cry. _I let this happen. I let him…that guy, I don't even remember his name. I let him do this. To Sid. To my Sid. I can't believe this._ He began to cry harder, leaning forward and gently kissing the bruises, moving his way up and lightly kissing the cuts and scratches on Sid's face. Sid sighed and leaned his head back; resting it gently on the couch as he gingerly lifted an arm, running his hand through the blond hair of the boy he loved. Jay began to kiss Sid's closed eyes, gently, running an hand over the large welt on his forehead. He sat there for a minute, looking at the boy he loved. He wasn't sure if he had ever told Sid that he loved him. He knew Sid knew, but he wasn't sure if he had actually ever said it.

"I love you. You know that, right?"

"I know," Sid said, not opening his eyes and smiling slightly. He ran his hand down Jay's neck, letting him kiss it lightly.

"Are we okay?"

"I'm not. Look at me," the brunette said, chuckling as much as possible without making his chest feel like it was about to explode.

"But…but are we?" Sid lifted his head and looked at the blonde, who looked as young as ever. His wide eyes and blatant fear shot an arrow straight through Sid's heart, who knew that he wouldn't ever NOT love Jay. It was just the way it was, no matter what Jay did or didn't do to deserve his love.

"Yeah. I think we're going to be just fine," Sid said, tilting his chin up slightly as an open invitation to kiss. Jay picked up on the subtle hint and scooted up farther on the couch, being careful not to disturb Sid. Slowly Jay kissed Sid very carefully on the lips, placing his hand softly on the brunette's cheek, nibbling gently on his bottom lip.

"You know…it might be fun getting to play nurse to you now," Jay said, running his hands through Sid's hair.

"I know. And believe me, I'm going to make you pay. You have a lot to make up to me," Sid teased, kissing Jay lightly on the nose.

"You're right. And I know just where to start…" Jay leaned forward and kissed Sid again, running a careful hand down his chest, stopping when he heard Sid inhale sharply and then chuckle uncomfortably. Jay looked at Sid and Sid nodded that it was okay, and Jay kissed him again, long and slow and deep. Sid leaned forward a little bit, kissing back and leaning hungrily in to the kiss. Sid slipped his arm around Jay's waist and slowly started to caress his hips, on of Jay's magic spots.

Suddenly, the door slammed.

"Oh shit," said Stacey, standing in the doorway, board in hand.

"Oh shit," said Jay, quickly standing up and backing to the far corner of the room. Sid just looked at Stacey head on.

"Hello, Stacey."


	5. Duck and Cover

Jay leaned back as quickly as he could to the other end of the couch. He groaned out loud at the pain that shot through his body. His chest felt like it was an egg about to crack, and his head pounded like the drums at a Black Sabbath show. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Maybe, if he just kept his eyes closed long enough, Stacy would disappear and it would be as if the whole thing never happened.

"What the fuck just happened," Stacy said shrilly, sinking in to the chair opposite the two boys. Sid just shook his head. He couldn't form the words. It was too much. There weren't going to be enough of them. He could feel it.

"Nothing, man," he heard Jay mumble from the corner. Sid could almost see him standing there, hands in his pockets, to grinding some invisible dust even deeper in to the carpet. Sid opened his eyes and stared at Stacy, praying that he wouldn't ask questions that Sid didn't know the answer to.

"Doesn't look like nothing to me," Stacy said angrily. "Look, I just want some answers, okay? What the hell is going on? I get a call from Tony telling me to come by and look in on Sid, telling me that he was awake and finally up, though he still looked like he ate it pretty fierce. And I come over and find the two of you…whatever. So just tell me what the hell is up. I'm not stupid, you know."

"We know that," Sid said quietly. He looked to Jay, hoping that Jay would have something to say, something that would make everyone else feel better. But Jay wouldn't look up from the carpet. "Jay…" Sid employed, but still all he could see was the glistening blonde hair.

"Jay?"

"Look, dude, I don't know what you want me to say. You saw what you saw. And yes, it was what you saw." He stared Stacy down, his shame suddenly replaced with a fiery anger that neither of the boys had seen since Donny had left Jay's mom, giving him nothing but that stupid surf board, as if that was supposed to make everything better. Stacy looked from him to Sid, back to Jay and back to Sid, as if he was following some kind of silent tennis match. The blonde, who had never been very good at keeping his feelings internal, began to blush as the full realization of what was happening took over.

"So you two are…"

"Yeah."

"How long?"

"I don't know, man. A while."

"Why?"

This question stopped both of the other two boys in their tracks. They didn't know what to say. They looked at each other and Sid gave a half-smile, as much as he could when his mouth was basically swollen shut and his eye was, as well. Jay smiled too and took a half-step towards the couch. Sid felt tears spring to his eyes at the gesture. He wiped them away as quickly as possible. It was bad enough that they were having to have this conversation. The last thing he needed to do was be accused of being girly, too.

"You know how you went years and years of looking at Tony's sister and then, all of a sudden, BAM. She'd grown up, you'd grown up, and she wasn't the same girl we used to chase around on our skateboards anymore," Sid said, not taking his eyes off of Jay.

"Yeah…" Stacy replied. You could tell he was trying to make the connection, but was falling short.

"Its like that," Jay took over. "You go your whole life just being good friends, and all of a sudden, its like BAM. You've both grown up and you're not the same guys who were catching waves together."

"Does that mean that you guys could want to…you know…do the same things to…well, Tony or me or Biniak or…"

"Stacy, do you feel the urge to get down and dirty with ever Mali-babe who walks across your path on the street?"

"No."

"Same here. It doesn't work like that. Its just…I don't know." Stacy nodded.

"I think I know what you mean." The other two boys looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Well, okay. Kind of. About it just being all of a sudden and stuff. Just promise me you're not going to get all…gay on me and shit." The two boys laughed.

"Have we been getting all gay around you before this?" Stacy smirked.

"No."

"Nothing changes, from here on out. Just promise us you're not going to tell anyone. No one knows."

"Thunder Monkey? Tony? No one?" The two boys shook their heads simultaneously. Through this entire episode, Jay had moved quietly and quickly back to the couch and was now sitting, his hand lightly resting on Sid's knee. The two looked at Stacy, willing him to understand and to keep their secret. "Well…okay. I feel so…weird about it."

"We know what you mean."

"Its going to kill Tony when he finds out." The two boys shot a look at him, and at one another. This thought only reinforced what they already believed – that Stacy would be the easy one to tell.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. But not because you two are….whatever, but because he hates it when I know things first." The room dissolved in to laughter. The boys knew Stacy was right, and Stacy was just glad to have cleared the air of the tension that had been there since he walked it. He still felt uncomfortable – he didn't know if he'd ever stop being uncomfortable – but he was trying to remind himself that these guys were still his friends. Just last night they'd all been at the club, the same people, doing the same things. They were no different now. Stacy stood up and threw his board over his shoulder. "I'm going to…go."

"Wait for me," Jay said, standing up and grabbing his board, which leaned against the wall next to the door.

"I guess I'll just, well, see you guys later," Sid said, sinking back in to the couch. He wasn't sure he was up for much more.

"Not so fast, Sid-monster," Stacy said, an impish smile crossing his face. "There is one thing you guys can do for me if I'm going to keep this huge secret for you…" The boys gulped and shared a glance.

"What's that?" Stacy began to chuckle.

"I need new wheels. How are you feeling about a trip to Skips?"

"I'm broke."

"I know that, Jay-boy. But our little buddy Sid here…" the two smiled conspiratorially and looked at Sid. The weight on his chest suddenly felt lifted. Maybe things really could get back to normal.

"You'll have to carry me to the store," he muttered pathetically. He wasn't quite convinced he wanted to give up milking this whole sick thing yet.

"Not a problem," Jay said, crossing the room and scooping up Sid wedding-night style. "Babe," Jay whispered quietly, his breath ruffling the tiny hair on Sid's neck. He smiled.

"Alright. Lets go spend some of my parents money!"


End file.
